Lessons with Friendship
by Cha-Cha
Summary: Esposito and Ryan are best friends and partners. but there friendship did not happen overnight. See how it developed over the years to the characters we know today. NOT SLASH. Friendship. Little bit of language in chapter 6.
1. First Steps

**Author: Cha-Cha**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or show, so please do not sue.**

**A/N: This is a series of short stories based on the developing relationship between Esposito and Ryan. This is however, not slash, just friendship! It also does not follow the series and episodes, but it does start long before the show. Hope you enjoy it! Please do review and let me know what you think!**

First steps

'Are you sure about this? I mean, it's not as though it's urgent.' Detective Ryan looked nervously at his partner, already beginning to have second thoughts.

'We're here now, if you hate it after the lesson, we'll stop.' Detective Esposito reassured his new partner. He had his doubts about what they were about to do, but he wasn't going to voice them, Kevin seemed to be having enough of them without his input. Besides, it was a skill that could come in useful at some point, heck; it could even save a life. 'Think of it as a partner building exercise,' He grinned, and Ryan relaxed slightly.

'I guess if I can trust you with my life on the streets, I can trust you with my life here.' Ryan gave a nervous shrug, shifting from foot to foot. They had only been partners for a few months, and they were slowly building up a strong friendship, built on many hours of Madden and long hours at the precinct. It had been a rocky start with Esposito's reluctance for another partner, but with Beckett's insistence, they had started to trust each other and enjoy each other's company. Although, for the life of him, Ryan could not remember how he had ended up asking his partner of this!

'That's the spirit. Lesson one, getting in!' Esposito waved his arm towards the swimming pool behind the two men. Kevin nodded and walked slowly over to the shallow end of the pool and climbed down the stairs, immediately grabbing hold of the side when his feet reached the bottom, tension filling his body. Javier followed his partner but instead of using the stairs, he sat down on the side and slipped into the water, relaxing as he did.

'Hey, I won't let anything happen to you Kevin.' Javier reassured the other man as he gently glided over, taking Ryan's hand and pulling it away from the side. 'Look, stand up, the water barely comes up to your waist.' The two men stood up fully, and the detective was correct, the water did only come up to the top of their trunks.

'You can still drown in three inches of water,' Kevin remarked pessimistically. Esposito rolled his eyes.

'Yeah, well neither of are going to drown. My sister would absolutely murder us if either one of us died. This is her sports centre and pool and she only agreed to let us be here before opening as long as we didn't mess anything up.'

And our dead bodies would mess this pool up!' Ryan asked wryly.

'Exactly!'

'And don't you forget it!' A female voice yelled from above them. The two men looked up to see a young woman who looked very like Javier looking down at them from the balcony above the pool. 'Looking nice Detective Ryan!' She waggled her eyebrows at her brother's partner, causing the young man to blush furiously and self consciously cross his arms across his chest.

'Go away brat!' Javier shouted back causing her laugh as she gave a wave and disappeared into the building.

'I thought we were going to be alone?' Ryan asked quietly, embarrassed not only by her comment but also that she knew why he was here.

'Have you any siblings?'

'Six sisters,' something clicked in the younger detectives mind. 'Okay, yeah I can't control them either!'

'I thought three sisters were bad,' Esposito gave a fake shudder causing both of them to start laughing. Seeing his friend starting to relax, Javier began their first swimming lesson. Reaching over the side, he picked up a flat float he had left their earlier and put into into the water. 'Okay, to start with, we're going to do some kicking. First, rest your chin on the float.'

Kevin looked reluctant but hesitantly he out his chin onto the float, only slightly flinching as it sank slightly causing some water to touch his chin. His partner silently nudged him into moving away from the side so they were about a person's height away from the edge.

'Okay, I'm going to keep my hand on your stomach so you're lying flat on the water, then I want you to kick your feet as hard as possible, as thought your trying to kick off a perp that's grabbed your feet.' Esposito instructed him, explain the next few steps. Kevin gave a shaky nod, flinching again when a bit more water came over the top of the float.

'Kicking a perp off me?' Ryan tried to start a friendly banter the two of them were starting to be known for, his smile not as cheerful as it normally was.

'Just trying to make it relevant to something you've done before, I know you had to take self defence classes at the academy.' Javier explained; his voice a little too light causing Kevin to wonder what he was going to say next. 'What would you prefer I say, creep? Crook?'

'Chucklehead,' Ryan began, his smile was still shaky but gradually got stronger as he got on into the flow and slightly forgot why they were there. Javier began to lean his partner forwards, holding him up in the water and encouraging him kick. There was plenty of noise and splashing, causing both of them to get even wetter, but it didn't stop the banter. 'Knucklehead.'

'Sleaze,' Javier stopped, they both knew there were far more names than they had said but they had reached the other side of the pool. 'That wasn't so bad now?' The two men stood up water running down their chests back into the pool while their hair was damp from the spray Ryan had kicked up.

'Yeah, that wasn't actually.' Kevin gave a sigh of relief, amazed he had managed to travel so far. Guess his partner really was a good teacher.

'Okay, now we've got to get back to the other side bro.' It was the first time either of them had uttered the word, but Ryan was surprised it had been Esposito had said it first, especially as he had been the more reluctant of the partnership.

'Man, you are a worse slave driver than Beckett.' Kevin grouched good naturedly, startling a laugh out of Javier.

'You know, I have a feeling this partnership is going to work.'

'Better believe it bro, better believe it!' Kevin cuffed Javier's shoulder, his grin stretching all the way across his face.

'But don't think it's going to get you out of going back across, you will be able to swim by the end of the year if I have anything to do with it.' Javier promised, and Kevin had a feeling it was a promise the other man was going to keep or torture him trying.

'You know that will depend on how many times Beckett calls us in at six on a Sunday morning.'

'There is that, we may have to move this to six am Monday.'

'Fantastic, an extra hour and a half of stress before a full day!' Kevin joked, knowing the hours they worked would make finding spare time when the pool was empty to be a challenge especially when Beckett liked calling them in at ridiculous times. 'So, back again?' Kevin resumed the same position as the first time, and took a deep breath to steady his nerves.

'Let's go.' The two of them set off again, their bodies in sync with each other.


	2. Doggy Paddle

**Author: Cha-Cha**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the show or characters so plase do not sue**

**A/N: Thank you very much for the review, there is definately more! Hope you enjoy this one as much.**

**Doggy Paddle**

'Now, cup your hands, and pull the water towards you. Think about pulling a suspects head towards you so you can take him down, then he escapes and you have to use the other hand and pull his head back.' Esposito explained what he wanted Ryan to do, trying to put it terms that would make more sense to the other detective. Ryan nodded in understanding, demonstrating the technique in the water.

The nervousness from the first swimming lesson had slowly faded, and the trust and friendship had blossomed between the two men, and it had passed over to their workplace relationship, a change that even Beckett had remarked upon, but neither one of them was going to explain talk about their sessions. It had turned into one of 'their' things, like Friday night Madden, Tuesday night takeout and Thursday night Film night. Maybe they did spend more time together than most other partners, but they had just clicked, and both preferred to spend their down time together rather than on their own, or dodging calls and visits from their sisters.

'Ready to go?' Javier asked, nodding his head across the pool in a gesture for the other man to go.

'Sure, course I am.' Ryan didn't move. 'You'll be right next to me right?' As they had progressed with the kicking, and then practicing the arm movements, Esposito had sometimes not swum over with the other man, allowing him to gain some confidence in the water, but this was the first time he had put the two movements together, and was not holding the float.

'Course, I'd never leave you hanging bro.' Okay, they trusted each other more than they had in the start, but it still wasn't instinctual yet, maybe in time they would be able to read each other well enough without the verbal cues, but for now, it was coming, after all, they had only been partners for less than a year.

Taking a deep breath, Kevin bent down and pushed off from the bottom of the pool, managing to do two stroked before finding himself sinking, forcing him to stand up.

'You did it bro!' Javier clapped him on the back, grinning in pride.

'I did didn't I!' Kevin agreed, shocked he had managed it. Crouching down a bit, he tried it again with much the same results. It was a start. He was swimming!


	3. Locker room talk 1

**Author: Cha-Cha**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the show or characters so please do not sue!**

**A/N: Thank you Andrea for your review, I can't believe it's snowing where you are, it's just either miserable here or tipping it down with rain! Glad you enjoyed it.**

Locker Talk 1

Pulling on his clean tee shirt, Esposito looked over to his new partner. They had been partners for a little over 6 months now, and while their swimming lessons were teaching him many things about the other man, there were still so many things he was learning about his partner. For instance, his hatred of early mornings as evidenced by the way the other man was falling asleep on the bench, half dressed. Javier was amazed he'd managed to stay awake during the lesson. He supposed that was another lesson. His partner could be awake or asleep at the drop of a hat.

'Ryan, Ryan.' Esposito shook the other mans shoulder, waking him up. Kevin swatted the hand, his eyes partially open and bleary.

'What?' Kevin grouched. One more point, his partner was a grouch when woken, or was it when woken early? He would have to watch out for that.

'You need to get dressed bro unless you want to meet the day's crowds.' Esposito sat a little further down the bench, starting to put on his shoes and socks.

Giving a large yawn, Kevin nodded and struggled to put on his polo shirt before slipping on his trainers, stuffing his socks in his bag with his swimming trunks and towel.

'You know I do have a name.' Javier jumped a little, he hadn't been expecting his partner to speak again, he hadn't even been sure the other man wasn't just running on autopilot.

'I'm sorry?' Esposito queried.

'I mean you either call me bro, which I quite like, or Ryan, but c'mon, we're off duty, can't you use my name sometimes?' Ryan explained, looking slightly more awake.

'I guess it's just habit,' Javier shrugged, he hadn't really thought about it. 'It's not like you call me by my given name either that often.'

'I use it more often then you use mine Javier.'

'I'll do better when we're off duty,' Javier paused before exaggeratingly added 'Kevin.'

'Thanks bro,' Kevin rolled his eyes before stifling another yawn. The two men stood, grabbing their bags and began heading out of the changing rooms.

'I have to ask, why did you pick to meet at 6am if you hate early mornings?' Javier finally asked, his curiosity finally getting the better of him. Ryan coloured slightly.

'I guess it's just a bit embarrassing being 30 and not able to swim,' Kevin finally answered after a few minutes of silence.

'Well I'm glad I can help,' Esposito replied, nudging the other mans shoulder with his own in a friendly gesture, not wanting to embarrass him any further. It had taken a lot to get that far in sharing more intimate details about themselves. Esposito had to admit, it had been an informative morning with the amount he had learnt about his partner. If he could learn that after one morning, imagine what they would know about each other in a few years.


	4. Front Crawl

**Author: Cha-Cha**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or the show so please do not sue.**

**Front Crawl**

Watching from the edge of the pool, Kevin watched his partner dive gracefully in the pool and set off at a speed Kevin could only hope he would one day one able to compete with. It had taken him quite a while to get the hang of the doggy paddle and being able to keep it up for any distance but he was starting to feel a lot more confident with the stroke, and wanted to try something new. To be honest with himself, he was hoping he could learn the stroke Javier was doing, front crawl.

Going down to the shallow end of the pool, the opposite end to his partner, he sat on the edge and allowed himself to slide into the water, gasping slightly as the cold water made him shiver. He knew it would warm up, but those first five minutes were always the worst.

Looking back over at his partner, Kevin realised there were several parts to the stroke, breathing, face in the water, kicking and the action of bringing your arm up in the water and putting it back in the water. It looked easy.

Deciding not to disturb the other man for a few minutes, Ryan decided to try out the stroke, see if it was as easy as it looked. It was not unusual for Javier to turn up a little early to their sessions, as though 6am on a Sunday morning was not early enough, to get in a little practice and, as the other man had put it, to be able to keep up part of his fitness routine. Today had been unusual as Kevin had not been able to sleep, insomnia was unusual, but a pain when it did strike, so he had decided to get to the pool a little early as well.

Seeing that Javier was doing lengths down the pool, whereas Kevin normally did widths, Ryan realised he was going to have to part of a length so they didn't collide, and therefore disturbing Javier's work out.

Remembering his kicking, Kevin pushed off from the wall of the shallow end and started with his doggy paddle before trying to put his face in the water for a few moments, and swinging his arm back towards his body before bringing it up his head, landing back into the water with a splash. It didn't feel very elegant to him, nor did it seem to move him very far as his feet hit the bottom of the pool immediately after.

Gritting his teeth, he pushed off again from the bottom of the pool, this time bringing his arm up and around quicker, followed immediately by the next arm. Realising a need to breath, he pulled his head up, going back to doggy paddle again.

'Nearly got it bro.' A voice spoke next to Ryan's ear. Kevin gave a squawk and immediately sank, panicking when his feet didn't instantly reach the bottom. Although the water was only up to the bottom of his neck, it was enough of a surprise he went under. He was only under for a split second before an arm around his middle got him upright and standing, patting him on the back as he coughed up the small amount of water he'd accidently swallowed. 'C'mon, just walk forwards,' Javier's voice instructed him, and relying on his trust in his partner, he followed the instructions, realising slightly that they were headed back into shallower water again. 'Want to tell me what this was about?' Esposito's voice was deceptively calm, and Ryan could immediately tell that his partner was cross about something.

'Swimming?' Kevin answered quickly before adding 'you've finished you're work out?'

'I can see you were swimming, I mean why didn't you tell me you were here? Do you know how dangerous it is for a beginner to swim on their own? You could have drowned if I hadn't spotted you! What if you get into difficulty?'

'You swim on your own,' Ryan immediately protested, he had known his partner was in the pool, he hadn't been alone. He felt safe when Javier was nearby.

'I've also been swimming since I was three, I was on the school swim team, and I know Nita, my sister, is watching out for me.' Javier retorted, anger starting to creep into his voice.

'I'm sorry bro, guess I didn't think it through. I just didn't want to disturb your work out. I was only planning to stay near the edge in the shallow end.' Javier nodded; he believed his partner was telling the truth, that he truly hadn't thought this one through.

'Just don't do it again.' Esposito warned his friend, 'why are you here so early? I thought you hated getting up at 5.30am on a normal Sunday.

'Insomnia.' Ryan shrugged. Javier nodded, he knew his partner had complained of it sometimes but it had never seemed to be anything serious or as a result of anything, just one of the Ryan mysteries.

'Since you seem to be so keen to learn front crawl, I think I'd better teach you the proper way to do the stroke, and away from the deep end.' Esposito moved the conversation on; he knew Ryan wouldn't do it again, but still managed to make a subtle jab. Maybe not so subtle by the way Kevin's eyes rolled.

'I hadn't meant to go that far; I was just trying to stay out of your way.' Ryan knew he had been forgiven, it was not in either of their natures to hold a grudge, especially against each other, but that wasn't to say it wouldn't be the last time they spoke of the incident.

'Next time, get in my way! Now, front crawl, you have the right motion with the arms coming up and over, but remember the doggy paddle, you need to scoop the water behind you,' Javier began to explain the motion, demonstrating it in the water, Ryan's attention completely focused on his partner.

When Javier had explained the technique and Ryan had shown him the motion while standing up, Kevin crouched down and pushed himself off, his strokes still unsteady and uneven, almost getting it right, but struggling to get each of his body parts moving in the right rhythm, his breathing was out of sync with his arms, while his kicks seemed to slow and speed up depending on what he was remembering. The one thing he did not worry about was who was next to him.

Nita smiled from the balcony at the two men below in the pool below; amazed at how their friendship had blossomed over the year and quarter they had been swimming together. Her brother had been a good teacher to his partner, and Ryan had come one leaps and bounds since that first lesson, he had also stopped blushing so much when he saw her, although that one was work in progress. Maybe in a few years Ryan would become a competent swimmer instead of the nervous beginner he still sometimes showed, but one thing she was sure of, their partnership and friendship was only going to get stronger and stronger. She couldn't have asked for anyone better to take care of her brother.


	5. Back Stroke

**Author: Cha-Cha**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or show so please do not sue.**

Back Stroke

'I'm sorry bro, I just don't think I can do the swimming tomorrow, there's no way I can hold my breath that much,' Kevin apologised to his partner as they sat on the subway heading back to their apartments. It had been a coincidence they lived so close to one another, both needing to get off at the same stop, although their apartments were in opposite directions from the station. It did mean though that it gave them extra time to chat with each other on the way home, or when needed, catch a cab with one another.

'Don't worry about it, we can do something different tomorrow so you won't need to hold your breath like with front crawl.' Javier reassured the other man. Ryan had been off from work for the previous week with a very heavy cold, and while he was feeling a lot better, he still had problems sometimes catching his breath, a symptom that was slowly fading, but still an annoyance that was forcing them both to be tied to their desks at work.

'Really? I thought we'd covered most of what I needed to learn, just breast stroke when I finally get the hang of front crawl.' Kevin looked interested. Progress had been slow, but he felt that it was slowly coming to him.

'Nah, plenty more you can learn bro. It'll be a surprise for you tomorrow!' Javier refused to reveal anymore no matter how many times and ways he was asked, just keeping a secretive smile on his face. He just hoped his partner would enjoy it.

Shivering slightly, Kevin walked into the pool area, immediately spotting the only other person around, his partner Javier Esposito who was practicing his lengths as he normally did just before their sessions. Ryan's one goal with his lessons was to one day be able to join his partner in these lengths, but for now, he had a while to go. He had only just begun to go near the deeper end, going slightly out of his depth to get used to deeper water, but never on his own. Sitting down at the edge of the pool, he let his feet and legs dangle into the water, quite content to watch his partner for a while. He was only slightly early this morning. It was strange, he hated getting up early on the weekend, and yet these lessons were the one thing makes him look forward to his alarm going off at 5.30am!

It was only a minute or two before Javier looked over to where his partner was sat and gave a small wave before swimming over.

'Ready for today?' Esposito grinned, knowing it must have been driving his partner nuts not knowing what they were going to do that day. Ryan rolled his eyes, knowing how much pleasure the other man was getting out of keeping him in suspense. Instead of answering, he slipped into the pool and gently splashed the other man in retaliation for the torture he'd put him through.

'Not cool dude!' Javier spluttered, splashing back. It very quickly descended into a larger water fight, both staying on the shallower part of the pool, but part running and part swimming to get away from each other, their laughter echoing around the empty room.

'Truce! Truce!' Kevin finally gasped, his breath becoming shorter and shorter, and he was starting to cough a little, not a chesty cough but more of a tickling cough that came after a cold.

'Hey, you okay bro? Sorry, I got carried away,' Esposito began to feel guilty. His friend was only just getting better. Kevin immediately waved him off. He was getting his breath back quicker than he had done earlier in the week, a sure sign he was getting better.

'Don't sweat it, most fun I've had for ages,' Kevin grinned.

'Oh, so our Madden games aren't fun then?' Esposito shot back.

'Well, it gets so depressing with all your sobbing after you lose to me!'

'I lose to you? I think you have that backwards bro!'

'Really, I think your memory must be faulty,' Kevin laughed enjoying the banter.

'My memory? In that case I believe we need a rematch after we finish here,' Javier challenged the other man.

'You're on!' The two men shook on it, only splashing one another slightly as they did so, the playfulness still there between them after their water fight. 'So what was this new stroke you wanted to show me?' Kevin finally broke down and asked.

'Back stroke.'

'Back Stroke?'

'I've always found it pretty relaxing, just listening to the water, floating along.' Javier shrugged, almost embarrassed to have confessed this.

'How do I start?' Kevin didn't let them dwell on it.

'We're going to go back to the floats just so you can get the hang of keeping your head above the water, but mostly it's like front crawl but on your back. Toady we'll concentrate on being on your back and kicking, we'll move onto the arms later.' Javier explained.

'Dude, that could sound so wrong!' Ryan joked, and Esposito cracked a smile as he thought back to what he had just said.

'And you say I'm still a fifteen year old! Your humour is much more juvenile!'

'You're just jealous I'm funnier than you!

'Only in your dreams bro, only in your dreams.' Esposito clapped him on the shoulder as if commiserating with him.

'Ha ha!' Ryan retort was flung back.

The bantering almost stopped as Javier got the float in the correct position behind Kevin's head, and helped get his hands in the right place to grip. Then, leaning his partner back, he kept one hand on Kevin's back and helped him to float before encouraging him to kick. After a short distance, he removed his hand, but kept on behind his partners head to as to stop him bumping his head against the wall on the other side.

It seemed like no time at all, although there were a few false starts, they were at the other edge. Standing up, Kevin turned to his partner, removing the float that had been his pillow.

'I see what you mean; it's so relaxing to only hear the water, maybe we need to do this after a stressful case.' Ryan suggested, already feeling more relaxed than he had done in days.

'You're welcome to join me,' Esposito invited the other man; it didn't need to be said he had just revealed where he went after the worse cases they caught when he wasn't at Ryan's house.

'Thanks.' Ryan replied, there wasn't much else that could be said about the offer to join his friend in such a private ritual. 'Shall we go back?'

'I've got your back bro.'

'I know.' Kevin remarked.


	6. Locker Room Talk 2

**Author: Cha-Cha**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the show or characters so plase do not sue.**

**Locker Talk 2**

'My first teacher was nothing like you,' Kevin suddenly spoke as the two men were dressing after their shower.

'Kev, we've spoke about starting in the middle of a conversation,' Javier gently admonished his partner, grinning as he showed he wasn't serious.

'My first swimming teacher.'

'You've learnt to swim before?' Esposito paused, his hands still holding onto his belt, but no longer doing it up. Kevin wasn't surprised to see a flicker of hurt in the other mans eyes as he immediately assumed it meant that Ryan had been leading him on and could in fact swim.

'Sort of.' Kevin sat down on the bench. He wasn't even sure why he had brought it up, it wasn't as though Javier had asked him about it, or there was any lead up to it, but it had popped into his head and suddenly it needed saying.

'How do you sort of learn to swim?'

'I never said I learnt to swim, I said I had a swimming teacher. Ms Hendez.' Kevin gave a shudder at the memory.

'Ms Hendez? I guess I'm glad I'm nothing like her, you know, being male and all.' Javier joked, provoking a small smile out of his friend.

'She was a bitch. Terrified the living daylights out of me.' Esposito looked more concerned now, he rarely heard his partner speaking so seriously.

'What did she do?' Javier asked gently, speaking as though he would a nervous suspect. Kevin gave a larger smile, knowing what the other man was doing but allowed him to do it anyway. If it had been anyone else, he would have clammed up immediately.

'I only went to one lesson. First thing she said to me was 'to get my skinny Irish ass into the water'. Then she kept yelling at me whenever I did anything, half of it was in Spanish, half in English. I was so nervous 10 minutes in I kept swallowing the water and choking instead of swimming, and the more I did, the angrier she got and the more Spanish she yelled at me.'

'How old were you?' Javier asked after Kevin paused for a moment.

'Four.'

'She was a bitch. She had no right to do that to you.' Esposito moved closer, his voice showing his anger at how his partner had been treated.

'I know that now Javi, but then, every time I went near the water, I kept hearing her voice.' Kevin admitted quietly.

'What changed? Why did you suddenly want to learn?' Javier had to ask.

'I trusted you and I needed to be able to have your back. Remember about three weeks in when we were chasing that suspect. We all nearly lost our balance on that bridge. I kept thinking, what if we went in? I would have been a hindrance and I wouldn't have your back.'

'You learnt all of this so you could have my back.' Kevin gave an embarrassed smile at the awe in his partner's voice. 'How did you know I wouldn't do what she did to you? I do speak Spanish to you.' Esposito began to worry a little, wondering if he should just stick to English.

'I do now speak a bit of Spanish, and I know you wouldn't be like her.' He paused before thinking of when it was he really began to trust his partner. 'Remember after the third case we worked when I managed to screw up three of the forms and we had to spend the entire afternoon sorting it out.' Javier nodded; it had not been the best afternoon they had spent as partners. 'You told me not to do it again, and if I wasn't sure, just to ask. You never shouted, and even when you were speaking Spanish, I never felt like you were like her. I'm not sure I would have been able to keep my temper like you did that day if you had made that mistake,' Ryan admitted ruefully. He couldn't really explain it any better than he had, it had just been a feeling he'd had that he could trust his partner to support him rather than be out to get him as his teacher had been.

'I'm certain you would have been able to, you were a rookie and you made a rookie mistake. I forgave you, that's what partners are for.' Javier put a supportive hand on his partners shoulder. 'Though I may have to yell if you make that same mistake again. Five hours!'

'Once! I made that mistake once!'

'And it took five hours to correct it!' The bickering felt more relaxed as they moved away from the more emotional talk. The two men continued to bicker as they finished changing and heading towards the door of the changing room, they would decide after they left the leisure centre what they would do with the rest of their day, though it was very likely they would spend it together.

As Javier put his hand on the door handle out of the changing room, he paused and turned to his friend.

'You know, if you want, I can teach you some more Spanish, give yourself a chance to defend yourself against me!' His smile turning wicked. Kevin chuckled; he'd had his suspicions about what his partner had said.

'Sounds good bro. If you want, I could teach you some Gaelic, give yourself the same opportunity.'

'You fluent?' Esposito had had his suspicions that his partner was bilingual but it had never really come up, just like he'd never really stated specifically that he was bilingual. It was just assumed he was fluent by the amount of times he was called in to translate. Gaelic was not a common language in New York that needed to be translated.

'Sure, Grandma could only speak Gaelic and she taught it to my Mom who in turn taught it to us. Most of us use it when we're together as a family.' Ryan revealed a bit more of himself.

'So, I suppose that means Monday and Wednesday nights are now language nights.' Javier summed up the situation. Neither minded spending the extra time together.

'Sounds good bro, sounds good.' Ryan agreed, before finally opening the changing room door.


	7. Breast Stroke

**Author: Cha-Cha**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the show or characters so please do not sue.**

**A/N: Thank you for the review Andrea, I was beginning to worry no one was enjoying it!**

**Breast Stroke**

'So how long d'you reckon it'll be before Beckett shoots Castle?' Ryan posed the question as he tried to distract his partner from the fact his legs weren't moving on the correct motion. He had managed most of the other strokes, but this one seemed beyond him. He just couldn't seem to get the hand of putting the two parts of breast stroke together. Either his legs moved correctly or his arms did.

'Two weeks max, and don't think I don't know what you're doing.' Javier gently admonished his friend; he already knew this wasn't the easiest thing to learn.

'I'm sorry; I just can't seem to get my legs and arms to work together.' Ryan groaned, standing up in the water.

'I know your trying.' Javier stopped and began to look thoughtful. It was obvious this method wasn't working; it seemed to require a different approach. 'Give me a minute, I'll think of something.' Kevin gave a nod, knowing it wouldn't help to hover over his friend as he thought. Instead, he began to practice his front crawl, doing a few slow lengths of the pool, knowing his friend was watching him as he thought.

At the precinct, whenever they were stumped by a problem, they normally went their separate ways for anything up to an hour before joining up again to hash out what they had thought of. It was a process that worked for them.

'How about we just work on your arms so it becomes natural, and then we'll add in the legs.' Javier suggested after the two of them had swum a few lengths, his brain churning as he went.

'Okay,' Kevin agreed slowly, not really understanding the reasoning behind the idea, but he trusted his partner.

'You remember when you were learning in the academy, you learnt something and then practiced it until it became natural.' Ryan nodded at what his partner was saying, the thoughts clicking as he caught on.

'So I become natural with one part, then I try and learn the other bit and I won't have to think about what I'm doing and I can concentrate on the other part.' Kevin finished the thought.

'Got it in one!' Esposito grinned. 'Let's start with the legs.' Javier grabbed a float from the side, and Kevin immediately put it into the water and got ready to push off from the side.

They practiced the stroke for the rest of the time they had the pool for, while he could just about do the move, it was not natural for him.

'Thanks bro, for all of this.' Kevin turned to Javier as the two men pulled themselves out of the pool.

'What do you mean?' Javier looked confused, he'd thought they'd talked about the lessons, that there was nothing to thank.

'For your patience, I'm sure you didn't expect to still be teaching me this many years after we started.' Kevin shrugged self consciously. He was amazed they had managed to keep it a secret that long, but he supposed unless you were looking for the secret, no one would try to find it out.

'It's okay bro; I kind of enjoy the lessons. Gives us a chance to see each other without working or competing against each other,' Javier confessed. Ryan grinned; relieved he wasn't the only one to feel that way.

'Me to bro. Madden later,' the moment was over as the two of them once again began bickering over who was the better player.


	8. Treading Water

**Author: Cha-Cha**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the show or characters so plase do not sue.**

**A/N: Syster: Thank you for your review. I did very seriously consider making this slash, but I decided I wasnted to stay slightly canon, so I deiced just to show how strong their friendship is as brothers rather than lover. I hope you still enjoy it though.**

**hachoo: Thank you for your review this time! I'm glad you were enjoying it so much you forgot! I'm glad your enjoying the friendship between them, I was hoping I got it right!**

Treading Water

'Okay, you're getting the hang of it, now comes the hard part,' Javier spoke quietly, although the echoing nature of the pool room meant it didn't stay that quiet.

'You mean keeping this up,' Kevin finished the sentence, doing his best to keep his head above the water. He wasn't doing a fantastic job, but he was at least spending half his time above the water as he tried to tread water.

'Exactly. Feels easy at the start bro but give it a few minutes and it's as stressful as a three day stakeout.'

'Great, why am I learning this again? It's not really swimming.' Ryan had done his partner had asked him to do, but he still wasn't that sure why he was doing it.

'I know it's something slightly different but with your strokes improving, I thought we'd better learn a useful skill,' Esposito partially explained, treading the water slightly in front of his friend. They weren't too far away from the edge but Javier was not going to be far in case the other man got into difficulty. It was a mannerism that still gave his partner reassurance and confidence in the water.

'Useful where bro?'

'Anywhere that isn't a swimming pool. With our jobs, we could end up falling somewhere wet, and there's not really an edge to a river, at least one like in a pool. So, you're going to need a skill to be able to stay in the water and not drown if you don't want to swim.' Kevin gave a nod; he understood where his partner was coming from.

They stayed in the same position for a few more minutes before Esposito called a halt to it.

'C'mon bro, you're about to go under in a second and not come back up.'

'I was getting the hang of it, I could have gone a bit longer,' Kevin protested, not wanting to admit defeat.

'Sure you were, but I would have thought you'd like to practice some other strokes today and not just exhaust yourself with treading water,' Esposito appeased his partner. He knew that Kevin would always push himself, never admitting tiredness or defeat. He supposed it probably came from having six older siblings and competing with them. It also meant that he always had to keep an eye on the other man to make sure he didn't overdo it but without hurting his ego. The eye roll Ryan gave him suggested he wasn't as subtle as he had hoped to be, but Kevin didn't put up a protest.

'So, try breast stroke again?' Ryan suggested.

'Sure, I think it's coming. Let's try one width to give you a warm up, and then we'll move onto lengths.' Javier suggested before the two of them moved off.


	9. Diving

**Author: Cha-Cha**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the show or characters so plase do not sue**

Diving

Sitting once again at the edge of the pool, Ryan was content to watch his partner as he practiced. Rather than swimming, his partner was stood far above him on the top diving board, poised to dive into the water. His stomach still lodged in his throat as the other man left the diving board.

It was not the first time he had watched his partner dive over the previous few days. The latest case had involved a local diving team, and so Esposito had been forced to go undercover in the diving club to help flush out the killer. It turned out that Castle's talents did not extend to diving. It had been fortunate that Javier had volunteered for the undercover operation, as Beckett had first asked him to do it. He hadn't even been able to say he could not dive before Esposito revealed he could dive and would be willing to go. It had only taken a few days before they had caught the murderer, but it had been enough time that Esposito had been forced to show off his skills to the team as they monitored him while he was under.

He still wasn't sure how he had been so lucky in getting a partner who embarrasses himself before allowing his partner to feel embarrassed. It was not really deemed that manly to admit to being able to dive at a nearly professional level, and yet Javier had done it without even thinking to prevent Ryan admitting he wouldn't even have been able to do the swimming part well.

The splash as Javier entered the water only moments after leaving the board caused Kevin to be drawn back to where he was.

Rather than swim to the side where he would be able to get out and climb back up the diving board, Javier stayed in the water and swam back over to his partner.

'Morning,' Javier called out.

'Morning,' Kevin answered, chuckling slightly at how much had been conveyed with that one word; Morning, how are you? I'm fine, ready for today? Sleep well?

No more was really needed to be asked. Instead Kevin slipped into the pool and slowly swam out to join the other man, starting to tread water as he showed off his newly learned skill. He hadn't found that skill too hard to learn, and he enjoyed practicing as much as possible to show he had learned something. Javier gently cuffed his shoulder, knowing exactly why Ryan had done it.

'That was amazing.' Kevin nodded to the diving board, congratulating the other man on his dive. Javier flushed a little at the praise but mostly shrugged it off.

'Wasn't much, I'm pretty out of practice.' He admitted. 'I think I can remember just enough that I could survive being undercover,' Esposito admitted self deprecatingly.

'Nah, looked great to me bro,' Ryan corrected him. 'Why did you learn?' he added as he finally asked the question that had been bothering him all week. Javier looked for a moment like he wasn't going to say anything, but they both knew whatever was revealed to each other stayed with the other person unless they decided to divulge it. Not even Beckett was told about their secrets.

'My mother made me learn. Nita and Rosie, one of my other sisters, they wanted to go, but Mama wouldn't let them go on their own, so she made me go with them.' There was little more that could be said about that. Ryan himself had been forced to do more things that he cared to remember about because of his sisters. 'Do you want to learn a few basic dives?' Esposito finally asked after a few moments of silence.

'No thanks, I think I'll be happy just to know how to swim.' Ryan immediately refused, his gaze unconsciously straying to the high board where his partner had dived off earlier.

'I don't mean up there, I mean off the edge of the pool.' Javier seemed to know where his thoughts had drifted to. 'I wouldn't ask you to go up there.' He added on the end, surprising Kevin.

'What do you mean?'

'I know you hate heights.' Javier stated it as though it was the most natural thing.

'How did you find that out?'

'Smith case. Remember when we had to go to the roof, you looked so pale I kind of figured it was the height then rather than what had been done to the body.' It was true that Ryan was a person who was very hard to make ill, no matter how gruesome the body looked, but that one had been very bad. He could only assume he had looked truly awful if Javier had picked up on it. He had only been up on the roof a few minutes before Esposito forced him to go back down and do some interviews. He had been so thankful to get off he had almost ran back down. Maybe he hadn't been as inconspicuous as he had thought he had been.

'I suppose we should be glad there weren't any spiders up there as well or Beckett would never have been able to keep either of us on the roof that night!' Kevin joked, and Javier gave an exaggerated shudder at the thought.

'Two most common phobias, we've got them covered bro!' They gave each other a high five, each knowing that their phobias were very serious, and neither would mock the other if they were faced with the fear, but they could tease each other when they were in no danger of having to face them. No one else was allowed to tease though; it was strictly a bro thing!

'What did you have planned?' Kevin finally asked after a few minutes of thinking, as long as he stayed off the diving boards he should be okay.

'Just some simple dives that most beginners learn. I think you'll be fine with them, c'mon, I'll show you what I mean and if you're still not keen, we'll leave it alone.' It was Javier's offer that made Kevin realise he would be diving by the end of the session. If Javier said he would be okay, he knew it was true, and if he said he thought he would be fine, he had no doubt he would soon be on the side getting ready to dive in. It was trusting and knowing your partner; it was as simple as that.


	10. Butterfly

**Author: Cha-Cha**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the show or characters so plase do not sue.**

Butterfly

Ryan stared in disbelief at the TV he and Javier were watching. They had originally been watching a Baseball game, but it had finished about an hour before and neither of them felt up to changing the channel, which is how they ended up watching a swimming final that was being broadcast.

'Can you do that?' Kevin asked, his eyes not leaving the screen as he watched the elegant swimmers. Javier looked to his friend in surprise but answered anyway.

'Yeah, why?'

'Just never seen you do it that's all.' Kevin started to feel embarrassed he'd even brought the subject up by then, so purposely leaned back on the sofa and started to pretend that he'd just been caught up in the moment.

'It's not the easiest thing to learn. Took me years to get it, not that good even now.' Javier admitted with a careless shrug, it wasn't one of his favourite strokes, nor was it one he was going to try and improve on; he really didn't see much point in refining the skill. 'Why do you want to know?'

'It's...' Kevin paused for a moment, and a silence descended between them as he tried to verbalise his feelings. He knew his partner wouldn't mock him for what he said, but it didn't make the sharing any easier. 'Sometimes I just see swimming as a highlighter for my life, never that great and just when I think I've got a grasp of it, there's something more to learn.'

'The case really got to you today didn't it.' Javier immediately recognised where his partner was coming from. The case had been from hell as they had worked longer and longer hours trying to catch the killer. It had only been because of Castle that they had managed to catch the killer. 'You are a great Detective and there is no one I'd rather have as my partner, not even Castle.' Javier continued as though he'd never spoken the previous sentence.

'Javi, I just, oh I don't know...' Kevin slumped back even further, rubbing his eyes. He'd needed to decompress from the stress over the previous few days, so when Javier suggested watching the game, he had immediately agreed, no matter how tired he felt.

'Kev, I get that it's been hard, but you're smart. I can't do half the things you do to a computer, and I can always count on you to have my back. That means more to me than anything else. Your swimming is coming along; it's just going to take practice.'

'Thanks Javi, but I think you're a little biased.' Kevin gave a small grin, feeling slightly better.

'So? Doesn't mean I'm not right. You're getting better at the swimming, you didn't become a cop overnight, it took a lot of practice. You are not trying to catch up, and you're definitely smart, probably smarter than I am.'

'Now I know you're lying,' Kevin chuckled, causing Javier to join him. 'Thanks, I mean it bro.'

'It's what I'm here for bro.' Esposito and Ryan shared a grin. They both knew what had been said was not going to go any further, Kevin's worries and neurosis would be safe with Javier. It was not the first time they had bounced worries off each other, although most of the time it was their fear and respect of Beckett they laughed over. She was not someone to mess with. 'So would you like to learn Butterfly?'

'Butterfly, that's what it's called?' Ryan realised he had no idea what the stroke he had been watching was. 'It looks like you have to have a lot of coordination.'

'It's harder than breast stroke but you seem to be doing really well with that. Give it practice, and yeah, I think I can teach you the basics of it. Just remember that I'm not very good at it myself.' Javier warned the other man.

'Maybe it's something we can learn together,' Kevin suggested, glad that this would be something they were almost on equal footing with.

'Sounds like fun. How about we start in tomorrow's lesson?'

'Look forward to it.' Silence loomed over again as they turned their attention back to the swimming on the TV. 'Madden?'

'Madden,' Javier agreed, and began to get out the console. There was no better way for them to finish an evening after a hard case.


	11. Practical

**Author: Cha-Cha**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the show or characters so plase do not sue.**

Practical

'NYPD Freeze!' Esposito yelled to the fleeing suspect, his gun held out in front of him. Of course, said suspect did nothing but run in the opposite direction. Javier and Ryan immediately gave chase, weaving their way through the park.

The suspect was quick and nimble as he dodged and forced people to scatter as he ran. Both men knew Beckett and Castle were coming in from the other side to help cut him off, and so far the suspect was going in the correct direction. They had managed to reach the bridge that bisected the park when the Beckett and Castle caught up to them.

The suspect slowed down, finally stopping by the short wall that was always being threatened to be replaced by something much higher.

'Police! Put your hands up in the air and turn around.' Ryan shouted out, the three Detectives guns trained on the man. Reluctantly the man did as he was asked, the backs of his legs touching the small wall as he did so. Beckett gave a nod to the two male Detectives, and Ryan and Esposito moved in to the suspect, Ryan reaching for his handcuffs while Esposito read him his rights.

The handcuffs had barely enclosed the suspect's wrists when the man suddenly lurched up, knocking Ryan off balance and over the side of the bridge. Unfortunately for the suspect, he was still holding onto the cuffs, pulling him over as well. Esposito made an instinctive grab for the two men, but only managed to find himself in freefall before the shock of freezing water hit him.

Beckett could only look on in horror as the three men disappeared. Reacting immediately, she called for the ambulance and ran around to the other side of the bridge where there was a slight dip into the water, the only place she knew they would be able to get out.

The cold was biting and seeped through every part of his body. Trying not to panic, Ryan began to swim up to the surface, gasping in the air as soon as he broke the surface. The suspect was next to him, doing his best to stay above the water, but with his arms tied behind his back, unable to swim away. It was only a few seconds before he saw Esposito break the surface, and the last piece of tension in him broke, they were all okay.

Kevin didn't need to say anything when Javier swam over, the glance they shared was enough to reassure each other. Instead, Javier turned the suspect onto his back, telling him firmly to stay still or he'd leave him in the water, and began to drag him to where they had spotted Beckett and Castle waiting. From somewhere it looked like Castle had towels, something he knew he was going to want as soon as he left the water. With that incentive, he began to concentrate on his swimming, it was slightly harder in clothes, a feature he'd never practiced before, but slowly but surely he made it to the edge.

Beckett grabbed the suspect, dragging him roughly out of the water while Castle helped his partner out of the water. Instead of taking the blanket though, Javier waited for Ryan to catch up, he wasn't that far behind, before helping him to haul him out.

'Thanks bro,' Kevin managed to get out as his teeth began to chatter. Castle quickly moved in and wrapped the towels he was carrying around the shoulders of the two men; they were both grateful for the warmth they provided.

'You two okay?' Beckett called over, her eyes looking them over intently as though she would be able to spot any injuries they had, though her grip never loosened on the suspect. Two uniformed cops joined her and took the suspect away to the nearby squad car where they would wait for the ambulance, allowing her to join the group of men.

'Be fine.' Esposito answered, trying to ignore how cold he was feeling. All he really wanted to do was go home, shower and change. Instead, they were more likely to be headed back to the precinct where he would be allowed a quick shower and change into his spare clothes from his locker before starting on the pile of paperwork that would result from the case. What a fantastic evening to look forward to! He thought sarcastically.

Beckett gave a snort at his idea of fine. She had known the two men far too long.

'You can both go home after the paramedics check you out. The case is pretty much sealed; we'll get the finishing touches tomorrow.' Beckett ordered them. There really wasn't anything else that was urgent that night, on fact he best thing for them would be to get warm and recover from their unexpected plunge.

'Sure we can't go home now?' Ryan requested through chattering teeth, not at all keen to hang around anymore. Beckett's raised eyebrows told them all they needed to know.

'Look, my place is only a block away, and I have two showers. Why not clean up there?' Castle put forward his idea; there was no reason for them to go too far to get dry. The two detectives exchanged a glance before making their decision.

'Thanks man, appreciate it.' Esposito answered for both of them. There wasn't much time to talk anymore as the paramedics turned up, taking the soaked men away.


	12. Locker Room Talk 3

**Author: Cha-Cha**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the show or characters so please do not sue.**

Locker Room 3

'Are you okay bro? I know that wasn't really the easiest way to test your new swimming skills.' Javier looked concerned at his newly dry partner. The two men had both showered and changed into the spare clothes they kept in their car. While Beckett, Castle and Alexis were working on some hot food for them, Javier had managed to corner his partner outside one of the bathrooms, wanting to make sure they could talk privately.

'I'm fine. I'm just grateful you agreed to teach me all those years ago.' Ryan gave a slightly shaky smile, suggesting he'd been a little more affected by it all than he was letting on.

'Bro.' Javier warned, and Kevin's smile faded a bit more.

'I was so scared when we went in, my clothes felt so heavy, it was like swimming in thicker water.' Kevin admitted after a few moments of silence, they both made sure their voices were kept low, although the noise from the kitchen would have easily drowned out any sounds they made. Javier suspected Beckett was purposely keeping Castle away so they could talk, it wasn't like Castle to be quiet for so long or to leave them alone for such a time.

'Maybe we need to practice swimming in clothes. You did great though, you kept your head, you managed to get to the edge without any difficulties, and I'd say you've achieved your goal. Congrats bro, you can swim.' Javier complimented the other man, who didn't seem as happy as he should do in those circumstances.

'I don't feel like I achieved anything today. I couldn't even get the suspect back. I was the one who lost him.' Kevin leaned back against the wall tiredly, rubbing his face.

'I lost him too. I was just grateful I didn't have to save both of you, cos I'd have a hell of a time with the paperwork explaining why I let a suspect drown after being handcuffed,' Esposito explained seriously, enjoying the smile that crept on his partners face when he explained there was no choice between his life or a suspects. 'We've never covered helping anyone else and you have to be a very good swimmer to be able to do it. What if he'd struggled? What if he'd panicked and started to go under? You can swim now, but there's no way you've had enough practice to be able to help a swimmer in trouble yet.' Javier could see the guilt in Kevin fading as he spoke as the other man began to finally relax.

'Thanks Javi, for everything, not just what you were saying. I don't know that many partners who'd teach the other to swim, especially not spending 4 years doing it.' Kevin thanked him gratefully.

'I only spoke the truth Kev.' Javier shook off the thanks before adding with a shrug; 'And I've enjoyed giving the lessons, really I should be thanking you, I haven't been in such great shape for ages!' Kevin began to laugh, causing Javier to join in.

'You know, I really should repay the favour, maybe I could teach you how to cook.' Ryan's offer caused them both to stop laughing at the surprise of it. It was no secret between them, although it was from the rest of the precinct that Javier could not cook.

'You do remember when I gave you food poisoning the only time I cooked for you.' Javier reminded his partner.

'As if I could forget, I've never felt so bad.' Kevin snorted, only giving a slight shudder at the memory. 'But you did make me feel better afterwards, and stayed with me when I was sick.'

'Your mother gave me a two hour telling off for almost killing you.' Javier did shudder at the memory. Mrs Ryan could be a very scary lady when she needed to be, although, a mother of seven had to be very tough.

'A very good reason to learn then.' Kevin knew exactly how scary his mother could be, a side he always tried to stay the other side of. He'd rather face two dozen suspects than his mother! 'Come on, you taught me to swim; now I want to repay the favour.'

'Okay, we'll do it. It'll be fun having you as the teacher rather than me,' Javier answered after a few moments thought. He had to admit, it would be nice to be able to cook, and it was something his mother was always nagging him about.

'You'll be able get your mother off your back.' Kevin seemed to be reading his mind Javier decided as his partner immediately focused on the same thing he had! 'Maybe if you get the hang of the basics we could eventually learn some of your family recipes, I'm sure she'll teach me them.' Kevin offered knowing how much Mrs Esposito wanted to pass on her family recipes.

'It's a good job my Mom counts you as one of her children otherwise she'd never let you know those recipes!'

'It's reciprocated you know, my mom loves you like one of hers as well. It's a good job our parents get on so well otherwise there could be some jealousy between mothers!' This caused both men to start laughing. Over the years, their families had grown closer, sharing a few holidays together, and also causing both males to now have two mothers rather than one. Although, the thought of having nine sisters each was enough to derail any thoughts of combining their families any further!

They were still chuckling when they joined the others in the kitchen; both feeling like a large weight had been lifted from their shoulders.


	13. Castle's Apartment

**Author: Cha-Cha**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the show or the characters so please do not sue.**

**A/N: Last chapter! I decided to put the two up together as this one was so short, I probably should have put it with the other piece, but since every other scene had it's own chapter, I felt I couldn't really break the tradition. I hope you have enjoyed the story, and thank you very much to my four reviewers, hachoo, syster, Andrea and Anon! Much appreciated! **

Castle's Apartment

'You two okay?' Beckett asked seriously as the two men sat down at the counter by the kitchen. Castle looked up, interested in their answer.

'We'll be fine. Thanks for the loan of a shower Castle.' Ryan answered. Esposito nodded his agreement with Ryan's assessment.

'I think you scared about 10 years off my life when you went over,' Beckett admitted with a shake of her head, images of the three men going over the edge still running through her mind.

'I think it did us too.' Esposito agreed, but he wouldn't bring up his and Kevin's conversation unless Kevin did. 'What kind of idiot decides to jump off a bridge when handcuffed with two cops?'

'I don't know bro, but he got caught, so he couldn't have been that bright. Maybe he saw your charming personality and decided it was better to make a swim for it than ride with us to the precinct.' Ryan grinned, needling his partner.

'Maybe it was your cuffing technique,' Esposito continued the banter. Things were back to normal, well, as normal as they got with their team, especially with one of them about to start cooking lessons and the other continuing his swimming lessons. It looked like interesting times were ahead, but one thing they knew would never change, was their relationship with each other, their chosen brothers.

The end


End file.
